Hope Scholarship Opportunities

Education is a major priority at Hope Leadership Academy. Attaining a great scholarship can be the difference between getting a college education and giving up on one’s dreams.  Children’s Aid Society has access to many different scholarship opportunities for teens in high school.  The staff works hard with teens at Hope to inform them about all of the scholarship opportunities available and also mentor them through the scholarship essay writing process. As a result of the dedication and perseverance of the students who attend Hope, our students have received hundreds of thousands of dollars of scholarship money over the years.

The following scholarship programs described are some examples of the success our scholarship program has had in recent years:

The Audrey Miller Poritzky Fund for Children

The Audrey Miller Poritzky Fund for Children is a charitable organization which was founded in 2004 upon the untimely death of Audrey Poritzky, a loving daughter, wife, mother and friend whose career tin the education reform field was cut short at the age of 32 from cancer.  The Audrey Miller Poritzky Fund for Children’s mission, “dedicated to helping children realize their academic potential and pursue their education dreams,” reflects Audrey’s lifelong enthusiasm and support for public school education reform, as well as her efforts to assist high school students with the transition to college or university environment. The AMP Fund awards an annual $2500 scholarship (which is matched by the Children’s Aid Society) to a student who displays Audrey’s attributes of leadership, community service and excellence in education.

The following are some of the winners of the Audrey Miller Poritzky Fund for Children from Hope Leadership Academy:

George Washington        2012       $2500    CAS matched: $2500       total: $5000

Florence Wen                   2008       $2500    CAS matched: $2500       total: $5000

Julissa Guevara                2007       $2500    CAS matched: $2500       total: $5000

Wendy Flores                    2005       $2500    CAS matched: $2500       total: $5000

Dare to Dream

Dare to Dream is a scholarship funded by Brainstorm USA that awards a first prize winner $5000 four times per year.  Participating students describe a personal dream and how they hope to attain it utilizing any form of creative expression. Previous winning entries have included videos, collages, models, essays, photos, and paintings to express their dreams. Along with an art project, the student writes an essay about how they are going to achieve their dreams. Reinforcing the philosophy of the importance of parental involvement in education, Brainstorm USA's “Dare to Dream...Expect to Succeed” program requires parents to write their own statement of support for their child and how they plan to assist them in reaching their goals. These statements must be included with the child's entry in order to qualify.

Many students have won the second and third prizes for Dare to Dream, the following are examples of students from Hope Leadership Academy who have won the first prize $5000 Dare to Dream scholarship:

2009       Marielle Rodriguez            $5000

2008       Carlos Escarraman          $5000

2007       Fatoumata Jawo               $5000

2007       Florence Wen                    $5000

2005       Julissa Guevara                $5000

2005       Katherine De La Cruz      $5000

2004       Ashley Hickman                $5000

2004       Anaisha Rivera                  $5000

Money Matters: Make it Count

The Money Matters: Make it Count program is run through Children’s Aid Society’s partner organization Boys and Girls Club of America. The program is funded by Charles Schwab Foundation and is available through all Boys & Girls Clubs of America Centers that serve teens. Hope Leadership Academy participates in Money Matters by implementing the Financial Literacy program and using the Money Matters curriculum. This curriculum uses fun, interactive activities and exercises on topics like using a checking account, learning how to budget, managing debt and saving for college. Teens in Hope's Financial Literacy program gain basic money management skills and learn practical ways to save, spend and invest their money.  Older teens (16-18) who complete the program and demonstrate their newly acquired financial literacy skills are eligible to apply for $2,000 scholarships from Charles Schwab Foundation. In addition, one teen is selected as the annual National Ambassador for the program and receives a $5,000 scholarship.

Since its inception in 2009, many teens from Hope Leadership Academy have won scholarships from Charles Schwab Foundation by showing their financial literacy skills, some examples include: